Collapsible chair



Filed June 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTOR' I w n a a B n m B m m M 0, mv m March 22; I 949.

M. B. BARTLETT COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR Filed June 7, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOT? M a /co /m 8. Barr/err AORNEYS Patented Mar. 22, 1949 GOLLAPSIBLE CHAIR Malcolm B. Bartlett, Ginc-innatLiOhio, assignor to Fred A. Burrisfl' ort Mitchell, Ky.

Application Junel, 1946Serial No. 675,253

3 Claims.

purpose auditoriums, recreation rooms, schools,

churches, hospitals, and other institutions and for use by undertakers and caterers.

The invention aims to strengthen and improve the construction andxappearance of the chair and to facilitate its operation and use by young and old without danger of collapse or of pinching the fingers or other parts of the body of the user. To this end, the front legs are strongly braced and fold up and unfold automatically with the seat.

Among thea'dvantages of the invention are the facility with which the woodenand metal or plastic parts may be fabricated by inexpensive methods of construction, being made largely of turned or bent wood, stamped sheet metal, and round rods, bolts and washers.

Other advantages of the invention will-appear in connection with the following description "of the illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a side view of a light weight wood and metal chair suitable for home or school use partly broken away to disclose the safety lock;

Fig. 2 is a front view and Fig. 3 is a plan of the same, portions of the seat being removed to disclose the lock operating bar; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged details of the safety lock and finger pull bar and cooperating parts for operating the safety lock, Fig. 4 being a plan and Fig. 5 a side elevation. In each of the figures, the same parts are designated by the same reference characters.

The chair shown in the drawings is intended for home or school use where storage space is limited, and it is designed with a low back to save space when collapsed. Another advantage of this design, particularly when made in small sizes for children, is its light weight, enabling it to be readily handled by anyone, whether the legs are made of wood or hollow metal tubing.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the back frame and rear legs are preferably made in one piece 3 l, which supports a back panel l2, shaped to conform to the upper part of the back frame member and secured thereto at the sides and top as by flanges or otherwise. Spaces 13 are left at each upper corner for hand holds to aid in setting up, collapsing and transporting the chair. The front legs M are firmly connected to the back legs by two bent stretcher bars it placed back -to :back and bolted or :riveted or otherwise secured'together at their contacting middle porations'to form a .rigid brace shaped in plan like the letter K, as shown in Fig. 3. Theends of this brace are pivoted to the front and rear legs near theirlower ends by bolts or rivets l6, washers I! being placed between the contacting "surfaces to permit them to turn easily when the chair is collapsed. Face plugs or igliders ll! of metal or rubber may be secured to .the under surfaces of the lower ends of the legs if desired to protect the floor and provide a finish for the extremities of the legs.

The seat 20 is preferably stamped or molded from sheet metal or suitable plastic material to provide a depending flange 2-! all around its perimeter, and it is hinged to the'front and rear :legs by means of transverse rods 22, 23 extending through the legs and side flanges of the seat. The front hing rod 22 is riveted at each end against the outer sides of the adjacent flange 2i, :and the rear hinge rod .23 is riveted at each end against the outer sides of the rear legs 'I l. A tubular spacer bar 24 is arranged on the front hinge rod 22 between the inner faces of the legs 94, and short tubular spacers 25 are arranged on the hinge rod 22 between the outer faces of the front legs and the inner sides of a U-shape unlocking bar 3! (hereinafter described) and the seat flange 2!, as best shown in Fig. 4, wherein the flange 2| is indicated in dotted lines. This front hinge rod thereby constitutes a substantial brace for the upper ends of the front legs as well as a pintle for attaching them to the chair seat.

Secured inside of the rear legs on each side of the chair at the seat level are quadrant shape lock members 25, which may be stamped from sheet metal, spaced sufficiently far from the legs to permit the seat flange 2! to pass between in the open or extended position of the chair. Spacers 21 are arranged on the rivets or bolts 28 by which the lower corners of the lock members are secured to the rear legs for this purpose. The rear upper corners of the lock members are supported by the rear hinge rod 23, as best shown in Fig. 3. Near the front upper corners of the lock members are notches 29 for receiving the locking pins 39 carried on each arm of the U-shape lock pull bar 35, which is slidably supported by the front and rear hinge rods to permit it to have suflicient horizontal movement toward the front for the locking pins to clear their notches in the lock members when it is desired to collapse or open up the chair. Tension springs 32 with their ends bent around the lock pins and rear hinge rod tend to hold the pins and pull bar in the rear or locking position. The pull bar is provided with elongated slots 33 to receive the front hinge rod and yoke ends 36 to embrace the rear hinge rod, thereby permitting the required sliding movement for operating the look. A bevel edge 35 on the upper forward corner of each lock member engages and guides the locking pins into their notches 29 when the chair is opened up by swinging down the seat.

Modifications in the size, shape and materials of the several parts of the chair may be made to adapt it to the various uses for which it is susceptible of being adapted without departing from the invention, as will be understood by those skilled in the wood and metal furniture art.

The invention has the advantage of simplicity and strength in the design of the essential parts of the chair and hinge locking mechanism, there being no intricate or fine machined parts, and the entire construction is sturdy and readily made and put together without special machinery or tools not commonly found in furniture making plants.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. A collapsible chair comprising integral rear legs and back frame, a seat provided with a depending flange encircling it and pivoted to said frame adjacent its rear edge by means of a rear hinge rod extending through said frame and seat flange continuously from outside face to outside face of said frame, a front hinge rod extending through said seat flange near the front edge of said seat from side to side thereof and secured thereto at its ends, front legs pivoted at their upper ends upon said front hinge rod, spacers between said front legs and the inner face of the adjacent seat flange, a spacer tube on said front hinge bar between the inner faces of said front legs, a lock member secured to said rear hinge bar and a rear leg, said lock member projecting inside the adjacent side flange of said seat in open position of said chair, a, lock pull bar slidably supported on said front and rear hinge bars, said lock pull bar having a locking pin near its inner end projecting laterally into the plane of said lock member, and a notch in said lock member near its front upper corner to receive said locking pin in open position of said chair.

2. In a collapsible chair of the character described in claim 1, two locking members arranged one on each rear leg, in combination with a. U-shape lock pull bar having two locking pins, one near each of its ends supported on the rear hinge bar, the middle portion of said U-shape bar being slidably supported on the front hinge bar behind the front flange of the seat, the supports for said U-shape bar at front and rear permitting suflicient movement to withdraw said locking pins from the notches in said locking members, the seat flange and middle portion of said U-shape bar being spaced conveniently for grasping both simultaneously with one hand.

3. In a collapsible chair of the character described in claim 1, said lock member having a bevel edge above and adjacent to said notch for guiding said locking pin into engagement therewith when said seat is opened from collapsed position.

MALCOLM B. BARTLETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 428,032 Albert May 13, 1890 442,591 Orcutt Dec. 9, 1890 1,744,799 Previser Jan. 28, 1930 1,970,266 .Allerding Aug. 14, 1934 2,241,881 Hanley May 31, 1941 2,272,329 Schermerhorn Feb. 10, 1942 

